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#UNC's Hubert Davis and Ven-Allen Lubin after the Tar Heels' win over Wake Forest.
Mar 13, 2025
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0:11
water are you good I'm good thank
0:14
okay thank you very start us off by two
0:17
questions
0:20
okay okay we're open up with two
0:22
questions for Coach Davis then we'll
0:24
take questions for the uh players who
0:27
has the first question
0:35
wait for the microphone please thank you
0:36
so much thank you I'm so sorry I'm
0:38
Caroline with the daily torill Huber as
0:40
you were facing as your team was facing
0:42
so much physicality and playing with
0:44
foul trouble what was just your message
0:45
to
0:47
them well um you know just
0:52
that you know we're built for that you
0:55
know we've um in the locker room just
0:58
telling them uh so proud of how they've
1:03
stayed connected stayed the course
1:04
through ups and downs
1:07
perseverance there's a level of
1:08
toughness here that has been developed
1:11
over the last seven or eight months that
1:14
we've been together
1:19
and we were in these type of situations
1:22
earlier in the year and weren't able to
1:26
to get
1:27
stronger and we're able to do it today
1:31
and as a coach to be able to
1:33
see these
1:35
guys perform under pressure and do it
1:40
together is one of the most amazing
1:42
things that you can see as a
1:45
coach back of the room Hubert right back
1:48
here sorry Brendon marks from the
1:49
athletic you mentioned obviously you
1:51
guys have been in these experiences a
1:52
bunch of times before obviously it's
1:54
tied with three and a half minutes to go
1:56
how much do you attribute those last
1:57
three and a half minutes to the growth
1:59
of the team and how much do you
2:00
contribute to the banked experiences
2:02
that you guys had in those late game
2:04
situations through the first couple of
2:05
months I think both I mean I think being
2:08
in that situation so many times you can
2:10
draw upon those experiences where it
2:15
worked out and where it didn't and so be
2:18
that type of
2:23
situation these guys now step towards it
2:26
as opposed to standing still or maybe
2:27
taking a step back and sometimes you you
2:30
still the outcome doesn't go your way
2:34
but down in the stretch is the
2:37
discipline and details to be able to
2:38
execute on both ends of the floor we
2:40
didn't turn the ball over we executed we
2:42
scored and on the defensive end we
2:44
defended didn't foul and didn't didn't
2:46
give them Second Chance opportunities
2:47
that's the game and that's a game
2:49
earlier in the year that we lost and I
2:52
think it shows tremendous growth in
2:54
where we are right now okay now we take
2:57
questions for uh Van Allen
3:00
front
3:03
row Stephen Arthur Virginia Tech
3:06
television Vin Allen you had those two
3:08
huge dunks under the two minutes in the
3:11
in the end of the game what were the
3:13
emotions kind of like for you as you
3:15
practically put the dagger in uh it was
3:18
just electric you know and just U making
3:20
plays like that uh just knowing that
3:22
coach always emphasized of going to
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offensive boards is getting us you know
3:25
Second Chance opportunities uh just the
3:28
way I just kind of wanted attack the rim
3:30
and give you know our team a chance to
3:32
you know give us a win you know it was
3:34
very important that you know I just had
3:35
to make those two dunks third row to our
3:39
left Bob holiday wwl.com Van Allen you
3:42
had a 10 points 13 rebounds three four
3:46
blocks um and a lot of what you did came
3:49
after you got your fourth foul uh was
3:51
there uh any increased emotion what was
3:54
your mind set after you got the fourth
3:55
foul and particularly wake Force went
3:57
with three bigs at the end how did you
3:59
get by for those two rebound slams yeah
4:02
you know it was obviously frustrating
4:03
getting those four fouls and just
4:05
knowing that you have to play smart and
4:06
you know just not trying to play too
4:07
physical to get your fifth one and to
4:09
set out the game uh we just know it's
4:11
really important for me just to play
4:12
smart and just to stay stay in it you
4:14
know so I just make sure I stay and stay
4:16
present and just know I can do just try
4:18
to do whatever I can back right uh Hi V
4:22
Michael Co wch on Chapel bar.com when
4:24
you see your head coach uh get a
4:26
technical foul late in the second half I
4:28
didn't get it the bench that wasn't me
4:31
the bench yeah that wasn't me sorry
4:33
hbert my bad I got one against Michigan
4:35
State my bad
4:37
hbert uh when you see the bench get a
4:39
technical foul then what kind of effect
4:41
did that have on the team did that sort
4:43
of you know catalyze you to make that
4:45
big late game run to put the game away
4:48
no I mean you know that's just part of
4:49
the game you know those type of you know
4:52
situation happens you know we just the
4:54
Five Guys on the court just kind of just
4:55
you know stay together just know like no
4:58
matter what happens you know this just
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finish out the game the right way you
5:00
know make the right plays and offensive
5:02
end and get some STS on defensive side
5:04
and then that would really determine the
5:06
game front real hey Ben and Steve Reed
5:09
with the Associated Press um obviously
5:12
there's a lot of talk Bubble Watch and
5:14
how much do you guys talk about that as
5:15
players and did you talk about it coming
5:18
into this tournament that you might have
5:19
to get to the semifinals and and do you
5:21
think you're in uh no there's not really
5:23
much talk at least you know for me and
5:24
you know from the guys you know just
5:26
really just taking a one game at a time
5:27
you know just facing our opponent you
5:29
know right in front of us um and just
5:32
kind of keeping our head forward you
5:33
know staying grounded and just knowing
5:35
that we got another opportunity tomorrow
5:36
and so that's our main focus right now
5:39
back of the room Vin Allen dick Cox with
5:41
ly Sports and Cox sports broadcasting as
5:44
a big guy playing inside do you like a
5:46
physical game like that or is it hard to
5:49
do your job when it's that physical I
5:52
mean as long as it's physical and fair
5:53
then you know I can I can rock with it
5:55
but you know uh that's sometimes going
5:57
to go our way sometime it doesn't so
5:59
it's just playing through you know the
6:01
physicality and the toughness and just
6:02
really just showing you know how tough
6:04
we really are and I believe we show that
6:06
four throw in the AIS Van Allen Ashley
6:08
Mahoney with axio Charlotte you
6:10
mentioned of course being focused on the
6:11
team that's right in front of you and
6:12
the path to the championship will go
6:14
through Duke what are your thoughts on
6:15
having to face them again just knowing
6:17
that we want we want that you know we
6:19
want that competition we want you know
6:20
our revenge against them you know and so
6:22
just gave us another opportunity just to
6:24
to get a win against them and just to
6:25
play a really great team just to give us
6:27
a chance to play in the championship
6:29
the rim Van Allen um when R uh Alex zler
6:33
with the Charlotte Observer when RJ
6:36
twist rolls his ankle and he insists on
6:39
staying in the game and then ultimately
6:41
makes a couple plays down the
6:43
stretch what does that mean to you as a
6:45
teammate that just show the type of
6:47
player he is and the type of person he
6:48
is just the the toughness that he he
6:50
just goes through through adversity and
6:53
just uh just a play through it you know
6:54
it's not easy you know playing on a
6:56
herur ankle or just you know being
6:57
injured you know but just his toughness
7:00
that he showed on the court just to be
7:01
able to stay in and just you know play
7:03
through it you know really just show the
7:04
type of player he is and that's
7:05
something that we really need just a
7:07
player like that any other questions for
7:10
vanin Allen front row last
7:13
one Vin Allen you had those 13 rebounds
7:17
during the game what was kind of the
7:19
strategy to keep in Keen Eye on the ball
7:21
I just going you know was really just
7:23
trying to get inside position and just
7:25
really just tracking the ball in the air
7:27
uh just really important for me just to
7:29
know just to get get those Second Chance
7:30
opportunities on offensive side and on
7:31
defensive end just to limit them to one
7:33
one shot and so it really just for me
7:35
just to you know uh assert myself and in
7:37
the paint and just grab those ball okay
7:40
Van Allen thank you I head back to the
7:42
locker room the Carolina locker room is
7:43
open till 5:38 we'll now take questions
7:46
for Coach Davis first one second r or
7:49
right coach Brett freedlander Saturday
7:51
down south um Hubert I know you
7:53
addressed this a little on Saturday but
7:55
could you kind of address the the
7:57
urgency that that RJ seems to be playing
8:00
with right now and how that just kind of
8:01
carries over to everybody else well I I
8:06
yeah there is an urgency because you
8:08
know he has no more eligibility left but
8:10
there's also a um also a sense of
8:13
calmness um and
8:15
steadiness that this team has needed all
8:18
year long and um especially in
8:22
situations like you know late game
8:25
having a guy like RJ that's been there
8:27
done that before and being able to draw
8:30
on his experience and how calm he is and
8:32
be able to execute Under Pressure um
8:36
just helps out our team so much and um
8:39
you have to have people you have to have
8:41
leaders like that on the team and I
8:43
can't think of anyone better than that
8:44
than
8:45
RJ back right uh Hubert Michael Co wchl
8:50
not my technical not your technical uh
8:52
what can you say about the performances
8:54
of Jay wit and Vin I mean they both had
8:56
their shooting struggles early on in the
8:57
game but they both made critical plays
9:00
uh throughout the game without scoring
9:01
and also late in the game in that run
9:03
what can you say about their performance
9:05
in the front Court yeah you know that's
9:06
one of the things that you know we talk
9:08
about is there's so many ways that you
9:12
can be impactful out there on the floor
9:14
to help your team win winning plays is
9:17
not just scoring there's rebounding
9:20
talking on defense diving on loose balls
9:23
getting steals deflections making a free
9:25
throw all those different types of
9:27
things being able to execute and so
9:29
again and when you have you know Vin's a
9:31
junior Jay wits 50the senior that type
9:34
of
9:35
experience um they've been in tight
9:37
situations before and and feel
9:39
comfortable about stepping up and making
9:41
plays in those
9:42
situations back
9:44
left coach um Duke and UNCC facing once
9:48
again this year three times now they
9:51
faced you guys have faced each other a
9:53
lot in the ACC tournament in the past do
9:55
you want to touch up on the history of
9:57
that or is it just another game for
9:58
y'all
10:02
well I mean
10:04
I gosh I don't I don't think we haven't
10:07
played them since I've been head
10:09
coaching ACC I don't I don't think so
10:11
but I mean playing Duke is um it's an
10:15
opportunity to play against the number
10:17
one team in the country obviously
10:19
they're playing extremely well uh we
10:21
just played them last week on senior
10:23
night on our home floor and we're
10:25
excited about the opportunity to be able
10:27
to compete against them uh tomorrow
10:29
night at
10:30
7 back left uh Hubert Brian Murphy with
10:34
wrl uh this league obviously in the past
10:37
has gotten so many teams in the NCAA
10:38
tournament sort of going five you know
10:40
above 500 in this league would put you
10:42
in automatically what has changed and
10:45
what can this league do to make sure
10:46
that it gets five six seven maybe eight
10:49
or nine teams in the tournament well I'm
10:52
you know I grew up right outside of
10:54
Washington DC I was born in Winston
10:56
Salem and I grew up with the ACC turn
10:59
tournament in the ACC you know
11:02
um uh conference in um I know that I'm
11:06
biased but I think it's the best
11:07
conference in college basketball and
11:16
um you compete against Wake Forest and
11:19
Syracuse and Louisville and Boston
11:21
College every
11:23
night come firsthand and see the
11:26
competition and how not only does this
11:29
conference produce unbelievable teams
11:31
but unbelievable teams that do great in
11:33
the tournament that have incredible
11:36
players that go to the next level and
11:38
have outstanding NBA careers as well
11:42
we'll take three more questions front
11:44
row coach Steve Reed from the Associated
11:46
Press with that said do you feel like
11:48
this team has earned a spot in the NCA
11:49
tournament especially after this win you
11:52
know the thing that I always focus on is
11:55
what is real and so you asked that a
11:58
similar question to been and my
12:01
communication with them in regards
12:03
[Music]
12:04
to the NCAA tournament has been
12:08
zero um what is real for us is our
12:11
Improvement as a team what is real for
12:13
us has been the opponent right in front
12:15
of us right now it's playing Duke
12:18
tomorrow at 7 and those are the things
12:19
that we're focused on I just I've always
12:22
believed this from coach smth and Coach
12:24
guthridge if you just focus on the
12:26
preparation the the process in your play
12:29
everything else will take care of itself
12:31
and so that's where our focus is on and
12:34
I feel like we're getting better and we
12:36
feel like we're improving third row by
12:39
the holiday.com you held Wake Forest to
12:41
34% shooting two of 22 from three there
12:45
were a lot of long possessions uh
12:49
including a number of shot clock
12:50
violations how satisfying was it for you
12:53
as their coach to see those long
12:55
possessions and see wake really struggle
12:57
to get a shot I like the long
12:59
possessions I don't know if they like
13:00
the long possessions but you know one of
13:02
the things that we always say to each
13:04
other for everything but specifically
13:07
from a defensive standpoint is whatever
13:09
it takes and I can't tell you
13:14
like just the communication in the
13:16
Huddle now we've got multiple players in
13:19
the Huddle saying whatever it takes
13:21
whatever it takes just to get a stop
13:23
whatever it takes to finish the
13:24
possession with the box out rebound
13:26
whatever it takes to defend without foul
13:29
and so now it's going from player to
13:31
player and they have really bought into
13:34
it whether it's playing defense for five
13:37
seconds or 30 seconds whatever it takes
13:39
let's see if we can get a stop because
13:41
if we can get a stop and a rebound then
13:42
we get to go in transition where we've
13:45
been consistently good all season last
13:47
question back of the room coach the
13:49
first four minutes of each half or two
13:51
of the segments are probably most
13:53
important in your game can you got off
13:55
to a slow start but can you talk about
13:57
you came out of the locker room after
13:58
halftime it seemed to set the tone for
14:00
the rest of the game for you yeah it did
14:02
I mean we you know I talked to the team
14:05
throughout the whole game and and kind
14:06
of chop up the game in in four minute
14:09
Parts you know at the beginning of the
14:11
game hey let's make this the best four
14:13
minutes let's get multiple stops to
14:15
start the game and then at the 12 8
14:18
Minute Mark let's make this the best
14:19
four minutes we've played all game
14:21
coming out of half let's set the tone
14:24
for the first four minutes it starts
14:26
with defense rebounding taking care of
14:28
the basketball and so and then the last
14:30
four or 3 minutes hey here we are let's
14:32
tighten the screws on the discipline and
14:34
details and let's execute on both ends
14:35
of the floor so that's communication
14:37
that uh us as a team has consistently
14:40
throughout the game not just at the
14:42
beginning of the game or the beginning
14:43
of the second half thanks coach thank
14:46
you see you tomorrow yeah see you
14:48
tomorrow
14:55
[Music]
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